Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

Last updated

Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Founded1994
Founders
TypeNon-profit
52-1920858
Focus Anti-communism
Location
Key people
  • Elizabeth Spalding, Chairman [2]
Website victimsofcommunism.org

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) is a non-profit anti-communist organization in the United States, authorized by a unanimous Act of Congress in 1993 for the purpose of "educating Americans about the ideology, history and legacy of communism." [3]

Contents

The organization was responsible for building the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is a member of the European Union's Platform of European Memory and Conscience.

History

The Victims of Communism Memorial is a recreation of the Goddess of Democracy, which was destroyed by the government of China in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre Goddess of Democracy DC defy censorship.JPG
The Victims of Communism Memorial is a recreation of the Goddess of Democracy, which was destroyed by the government of China in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre

In 1991, Republican Senator Steve Symms and Representative Dana Rohrabacher introduced concurrent resolutions in the United States Congress urging the construction of "an International Memorial to the Victims of Communism at an appropriate location within the boundaries of the District of Columbia and for the appointment of a commission to oversee the design, construction and all other pertinent details of the memorial." [4] [5]

In 1993, Rohrabacher and fellow Republican Senator Jesse Helms sponsored amendments to the FRIENDSHIP Act of 1993 which authorized such construction. [6] The act was signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton on December 17, 1993. [7] It cited "the deaths of over 100,000,000 victims in an unprecedented imperial holocaust" and resolved that "the sacrifices of these victims should be permanently memorialized so that never again will nations and peoples allow so evil a tyranny to terrorize the world." [3]

According to Title IX, Section 905 of Public Law 103–199, an independent organization was to be established to construct, maintain, and operate the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as to collect the contributions for the establishment of the memorial and to encourage the participation of all groups suffered under Communist regimes. [8] In 2007, the foundation completed the Victims of Communism Memorial, which was dedicated by Republican President George W. Bush. [9] In 2016, the foundation released a list of 51 prisoners of conscience in Cuba just before Democratic President Barack Obama visit and meeting with Cuban leader Raúl Castro. [10] In 2020, the organization released a report alleging organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs in China. [11]

Programs

Victims of Communism Memorial

The memorial was dedicated on June 12, 2007, the 20th anniversary of Republican President Ronald Reagan's Tear down this wall! speech in Berlin. The unveiling of the statue in Washington DC earned international press attention. [12]

The land was a gift of the National Park Service, and the remaining cost, over $1 million, was raised from private sources. [13] Sculpted by Thomas Marsh, it is a 10-foot bronze replica of the Papier-mâché Goddess of Democracy statue made by student democracy protesters leading up to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. [14]

Museum

The foundation opened a museum at 900 15th St NW two blocks from the White House in June 2022. It is across the street from McPherson Square Park and McPherson Metro Station The grand opening featured three permanent galleries and a temporary gallery focused on the victims of communism. In the Washington Post, columnist George F. Will wrote that “Visitors to the museum will experience a wholesome immersion in the nation’s anti-communist success. And they will be reminded that this work is unfinished". [15]

Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom

The foundation annually presents its Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom at an event which honors opponents of communism and has been used to raise funds for the construction of the memorial. [16] Past recipients include Myroslav Marynovych, Chen Guangcheng, Tom Lantos, Pope John Paul II, Vaclav Havel, Yang Jianli, Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý, Yelena Bonner, William F. Buckley Jr., Richard Pipes, Guillermo Fariñas, Lane Kirkland, Armando Valladares, János Horváth, Lech Wałęsa, Anna Walentynowicz, National Endowment for Democracy, and Henry M. Jackson. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Projects

In 2015, the foundation released a biopic video series called Witness Project, featuring interviews with witnesses of communism. [20]

Personnel

Chairman emeritus Edwin Feulner Ed Feulner.jpg
Chairman emeritus Edwin Feulner

VOC's chairman is Elizabeth Edwards Spalding. Its chairman emeritus and co-founder is scholar Edwin Feulner. [2] Its previous chairman emeritus is Lee Edwards, a founding member of the conservative youth activism organization Young Americans for Freedom [21] and distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation. [22] Lev Dobriansky, economics professor and chairman of the anti-communist National Captive Nations Committee, previously served as chairman emeritus. [2] [23] Its vice chairman is Randal Teague. [24]

Andrew Bremberg, former department manager for federally funded not-for-profit defence research contractor MITRE and former director of the Domestic Policy Council for U.S. President Donald Trump, [25] serves as president of VOC. [26] Ken Pope is the current CEO. [27]

The advisory council includes Sali Berisha, Dennis DeConcini, Carl Gershman, Mart Laar, Vytautas Landsbergis, Katrina Lantos Swett, Daniel Lipinski, Guntis Ulmanis, Armando Valladares, and others. [2]

See also

Other notable memorials

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Rohrabacher</span> American politician (born 1947)

Dana Tyrone Rohrabacher is an American former politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 2019. A Republican, he represented California's 48th congressional district for the last three terms of his House tenure. Rohrabacher was defeated by Democrat Harley Rouda in 2018. Rohrabacher has expressed strong pro-Russia and pro-Putin opinions which have raised questions about his relationship with Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. Politico dubbed him as "Putin's favorite congressman".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington, D.C.</span> Capital city of the United States

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States. The district is named after Columbia, the female personification of the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Holocaust Memorial Museum</span> Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history. It is dedicated to helping leaders and citizens of the world confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and strengthen democracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Dobriansky</span> American diplomat (born 1955)

Paula Jon Dobriansky is an American diplomat, public official, and foreign policy expert who served as Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs (2001–2009) and the President's Envoy to Northern Ireland (2007–2009). A specialist in Central/East European affairs and the former Soviet Union, trans-Atlantic relations, and political-military affairs, Dobriansky held key senior roles in the administrations of five U.S. presidents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay K. Katzen</span> American politician (1936–2020)

Jay Kenneth Katzen was an American diplomat, business consultant, state legislator, and government agency administrator, and former President of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. He graduated from Princeton University (1958) and Yale University (1959) and served United States presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower through George H. W. Bush. His positions included White House translator and U.S. representative to the United Nations. From 1977 to 1979 he served chargé d'affairs ad interim to Congo (Brazzaville). He became active in Virginia politics when elected in 1993 to represent the 31st legislative district of the Virginia House of Delegates. In 2001, he was the Republican Party's nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Feulner</span> American activist (born 1941)

Edwin John Feulner Jr. is a former think tank executive, Congressional aide, and foreign consultant who co-founded The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in 1973 and served as its president from 1977 to 2013 and again from 2017 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victims of Communism Memorial</span> Sculpture in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Victims of Communism Memorial is a memorial in Washington, D.C. located at the intersection of Massachusetts and New Jersey Avenues and G Street, NW, two blocks from Washington Union Station within view of the U.S. Capitol. The memorial is dedicated "to the more than one hundred million victims of communism". The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation says the purpose of the memorial is to ensure "that the history of communist tyranny will be taught to future generations." The Memorial was opened by President George W. Bush on June 12, 2007. It was dedicated on the 20th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall" speech in front of the Berlin Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Edwards</span> American historian and author (born 1932)

Lee Willard Edwards is an American academic and author, currently a fellow at The Heritage Foundation. He is a historian of the conservative movement in the United States.

Lev Eugene Dobriansky was an American diplomat and professor of economics at Georgetown University. He served as U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, and was also an anti-communist advocate. He is known for his work with the National Captive Nations Committee and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, and formerly served as the chairman emeritus of the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taras Shevchenko Memorial</span> Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Taras Shevchenko Memorial is a bronze statue and stone relief-adorned wall located on the 2200 block of P Street NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of many monuments in Washington, D.C. that honor foreign heroes who symbolize freedom in their native countries. Sculpted by Leo Mol, the memorial honors Taras Shevchenko (1814–1861), a Ukrainian poet and artist who influenced the development of modern Ukrainian literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Captive Nations Committee</span>

The National Captive Nations Committee (NCNC) is an anti-Communism advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1959 according to Pub. L. 86–90 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, which introduced the Captive Nations Week, with the purpose to maintain the Captive Nations List. The founder and long-time chairman of NCNC was Lev Dobriansky, who wrote the original Captive Nations Resolution, which was signed into Public Law 86–90. The local captive nations committees were often allied with the Banderite wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists; for example, the Washington DC committee was chaired by the local OUN head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captive Nations</span> Cold War term used in United States Public Law 86–90

"Captive Nations" is a term that arose in the United States to describe nations under undemocratic regimes. During the Cold War, when the phrase appeared, it referred to nations under Communist administration, primarily Soviet rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Ribbon Day</span> International day of remembrance

The Black Ribbon Day, officially known in the European Union as the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism and also referred to as the Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, is an international day of remembrance for victims of totalitarianism regimes, specifically Stalinist, communist, Nazi and fascist regimes. Formally recognised by the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and some other countries, it is observed on 23 August. It symbolises the rejection of "extremism, intolerance and oppression" according to the European Union. The purpose of the Day of Remembrance is to preserve the memory of the victims of mass deportations and exterminations, while promoting democratic values to reinforce peace and stability in Europe. It is one of the two official remembrance days or observances of the European Union, alongside Europe Day. Under the name Black Ribbon Day it is an official remembrance day of Canada. The European Union has used both names alongside each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prague Declaration</span> Political declaration signed in 2008 in the Czech Republic

The Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism was a declaration which was initiated by the Czech government and signed on 3 June 2008 by prominent European politicians, former political prisoners and historians, among them former Czech President Václav Havel and future German President Joachim Gauck, calling for "Europe-wide condemnation of, and education about, the crimes of communism." Much of the content of the declaration reproduced demands formulated by the European People's Party in 2004, and draws heavily on the theory or conception of totalitarianism.

The Declaration on Crimes of Communism is a declaration signed on 25 February 2010 by several prominent European politicians, former political prisoners, human rights advocates and historians, which calls for the condemnation of communism.

The Platform of European Memory and Conscience is an educational project of the European Union bringing together government institutions and NGOs from EU countries active in research, documentation, awareness raising and education about the crimes of totalitarian regimes. Its membership includes 68 government agencies and NGOs from 15 EU member states and 8 non-EU countries including Ukraine, Albania, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Its members include the Institute of National Remembrance, the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, the Stasi Records Agency and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The platform has offices in Prague and Brussels (formerly). The President of the platform was Göran Lindblad (politician) (2012-2017), later Łukasz Kamiński, former President of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (2017-2022). In the current term of office Marek Mutor serves the President of Platform.

The Estonian Institute of Historical Memory is a non-governmental foundation that focuses on the investigation of war crimes and human rights violations committed by totalitarian regimes and research of totalitarian ideologies that created such regimes. The Institute aims to give the general public a comprehensive, objective and international overview of human rights violations and crimes committed by totalitarian regimes both in Estonia and abroad. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congressional Cannabis Caucus</span> Caucus in the United States Congress

The Congressional Cannabis Caucus is a registered caucus in the United States Congress, formed in 2017 during the 115th session. The bipartisan caucus was founded by Republicans Dana Rohrabacher and Don Young and Democrats Earl Blumenauer and Jared Polis. The Congressional Cannabis Caucus seeks to harmonize federal laws that conflict with various state laws that permit medical and recreational cannabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FRIENDSHIP Act of 1993</span>

The FRIENDSHIP Act of 1993 was enacted as a law of the United States enhancing prior statutory provisions which govern international relations between the former Republics of the Soviet Union and United States during the Cold War. The Act of Congress reformed United States statutes related to:

The Victims of Communism Memorial is a memorial in Washington, D.C. It may also refer to:

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Dinitia (December 23, 1995). "For the Victims of Communism". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Leadership". Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Rauch, Jonathan (December 2003). "The Forgotten Millions". The Atlantic . Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  4. ↑ "S. Con. Res. 55". thomas.loc.gov. Library of Congress. July 26, 1991. Archived from the original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  5. ↑ "H. Con. Res. 228". thomas.loc.gov. Library of Congress. 1991. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Laws Catch Up to the New Russia". The New York Times. November 29, 1993. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Bill Summary and Status". Library of Congress. December 17, 1993. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Public Law 103-199". United States Congress. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2009– via Mega.nu.
  9. ↑ "China Blasts Bush Tribute to Victims of Communism". Reuters. June 13, 2007. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ Rhodan, Maya (March 21, 2016). "Advocates List Cuba's Political Prisoners After Castro Says There Are None". Time. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  11. ↑ Lipes, Joshua (March 12, 2020). "Uyghur, Falun Gong Detainees Likely Source for China's Organ Market: Report". Radio Free Asia. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Bush Blames 100 Million Deaths on Communists". Kommersant. June 13, 2007. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  13. ↑ Butler, Don (March 6, 2015). "A tale of Two Monuments: Washington vs. Ottawa". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  14. ↑ Miller, John (December 12, 2005). "Memorial Day: Honoring the victims of Communism". The National Review. Archived from the original on September 18, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  15. ↑ George, Will (August 24, 2022). "D.C.'s new Victims of Communism Museum tells a vital, unfinished tale". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Clyne, Meghan (December 13, 2005). "D.C. Monument To Be Built In Honor of Victims of Communism". The New York Sun . Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  17. ↑ Nordlinger, Jay (July 25, 2014). "Sweet Solidarity, Part II". National Review. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom". Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Chinese Dissident Receives Political Award in Washington". Asia Times. November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ↑ Abigail Clevenger (May 8, 2014). "What About Communism". Philanthropy Daily. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  21. ↑ Olmstead, Gracy (February 14, 2018). "Lee Edwards: When the 'New Right' Was New". The American Conservative. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Lee Edwards, Ph.D." The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  23. ↑ Holley, Joe (February 6, 2008). "Lev E. Dobriansky, 89; Professor and Foe of Communism". Washington Post .
  24. ↑ "Randal Cornell Teague". Victims of Communism. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  25. ↑ Michael Shear (May 2, 2017). "Trump Discards Obama Legacy, One Rule at a Time". The New York Times . p. A1. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Andrew Bamberg". Victims of Communism. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Ken Pope". Victims of Communism. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  28. ↑ Chernova, Anna. "Historic Russian Human Rights Center Closes, Warns of "Return to the Totalitarian Past"". CNN. Retrieved April 5, 2022.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.